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What Ever Happened to Orson Welles?: A Portrait of an Independent Career
In this intimate and often surprising personal portrait, Joseph McBride challenges the conventional wisdom that Welles's career after Citizen Kane, widely regarded as the greatest film ever made, fell into a long decline. The author shows instead how Welles never stopped directing radical, adventurous films and was always breaking new artistic ground as a filmmaker. McBride is the first author to provide a comprehensive examination of the films of Welles's artistically rich yet widely misunderstood later period in the United States (1970--1985), when McBride knew the director and worked with him as an actor. To put Welles's later years into context, the author reexamines the filmmaker's entire life and career. This newly updated edition rounds out the story with a final chapter analyzing The Other Side of the Wind, finally completed in 2018 -- Welles's personal testament on filmmaking -- and his rediscovered 1938 film, Too Much Johnson. McBride offers many fresh insights into the collapse of Welles's Hollywood career in the 1940s, his subsequent political blacklisting, and his long period of European exile.
An enlightening and entertaining look at Welles's brilliant and enigmatic career as a filmmaker, What Ever Happened to Orson Welles? serves as a major reinterpretation of Welles's life and work. McBride's revealing portrait of this great artist changes the framework for how Orson Welles is understood as a man, an actor, a political figure, and a filmmaker.
An enlightening and entertaining look at Welles's brilliant and enigmatic career as a filmmaker, What Ever Happened to Orson Welles? serves as a major reinterpretation of Welles's life and work. McBride's revealing portrait of this great artist changes the framework for how Orson Welles is understood as a man, an actor, a political figure, and a filmmaker.
- GenresFilmNonfictionBiography
394 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 18, 2021
The legend around Orson Welles is that he made the Greatest Movie of All Time before his 26th birthday, and then wasted the remaining forty-odd years of his life starting projects and then abandoning them almost as much as he engorged himself on life, food, and women (and maybe men). This is a legend that, sadly, still carries a lot of weight with even the people sympathetic to Welles' career and life troubles, and it's something that Joseph McBride, a film critic and former associate of Welles, tries to correct in this book.
"What Ever Happened to Orson Welles?" makes a very convincing argument that what happened was that Welles never stopped being the singular talent that he was when he made "Citizen Kane." In the words of Norma Desmond, it wasn't Welles who stopped being big; it was the pictures that got small. Specifically, his issues with RKO in the wake of William Randolph Hearst's smear campaign against "Kane" and Welles began to overshadow his work, and he paid the price for (usually) staying by his progressive, left-of-center political stances (which just was not done in Hollywood in the Forties and Fifties, a much more conservative place than the "Holly-weird" complainers would like to admit). Exiled because of the HUAC investigations into Hollywood "Reds" and also the emergence of Joe McCarthy (who might never have achieved office if Welles, a son of Wisconsin, had run against him), Welles went to Europe to work as an independent filmmaker well before the advent of the independent film movement. McBride makes the case that Welles was so far ahead of his time that he's still today not recognized for his trailblazing efforts to fund his own productions (usually by taking roles in lesser films or in working in advertising, "selling out" according to the standards of later generations but perfectly normal when Welles himself was still on the radio recording commercials inbetween scaring the pants off of folks with his "War of the Worlds" broadcast).
McBride has a personal connection to Welles as filmmaker, having worked with him on the legendary (and legendarily unreleased) film "The Other Side of the Wind," a satire of "New Hollywood" by the master of cinema. McBride had some input in the script and appeared in the film as a reporter and film critic, and spent years waiting to be summoned for more shooting and re-shooting of various scenes as Welles could afford to do with his limited funds. The story of Welles' post-Hollywood career (which ended infamously when "The Magnificent Ambersons" was taken away from him and edited without his input in 1942, as well as his subsequent "problems" on the set of "It's All True") is of constant beginnings and halts to production, more a product, McBride argues, of Welles' financial status than his willingness to bring in a film on time and under budget (and tales of his "overspending" may very well be Hollywood rumor-mongering on an unkind scale). Welles struggled to get films made, and the ones that he did complete, McBride argues, show that Welles was far from spent as a creative force before he turned thirty.
Because of Welles' politics, he was a target of the Communist witch-hunt that plagued Hollywood and America in the aftermath of World War II. Anti-Communism, arguably one of the most destructive forces in American life (alongside racism, which often informed who HUAC and McCarthy pursued in their zeal to "cleanse" America of any Communist taint), was used to argue that Welles was a dangerous influence and not to be trusted. Welles, up against the full weight of the FBI and the Hollywood studio system, simply had no chance once the stories about his political leanings (real or imagined) began to take shape. Hearst, a fervid anti-Communist and spiteful about how he was portrayed in "Kane," considered the smearing of Welles to be something of a personal crusade, and so Welles' exile in Europe, long-lasting, was to add fuel to the fire that he was unable to finish films.
Welles made efforts to begin many projects, but few would see completion between 1955 and his death in 1985. But he never stopped working, and among his late-period works are some now-acclaimed masterpieces ("Touch of Evil," "Chimes at Midnight," "F For Fake"). Orson Welles never stopped working; he was even in the middle of writing when a heart attack struck him down in October 1985. McBride, whose complicated relationship with Welles allows him to be honest about how often the older man was less than charming or helpful, manages a balanced portrait of an artist whose creativity never really abandoned him; he was more the victim of financial uncertainty than any loss of talent or instinct to create. Having read "Young Orson" recently, which chronicles Welles' life up to the moment he began shooting "Kane," I feel like this is a perfect companion volume (though the authors are different, and the intentions dissimilar) to that book, and a well-done answer to the title question. What happened to Orson Welles was a tragedy of time, money, and ruined reputation for a man whose cinematic instincts never left him, even as the resources to bring those visions to life were fickle and fleeting.
"What Ever Happened to Orson Welles?" makes a very convincing argument that what happened was that Welles never stopped being the singular talent that he was when he made "Citizen Kane." In the words of Norma Desmond, it wasn't Welles who stopped being big; it was the pictures that got small. Specifically, his issues with RKO in the wake of William Randolph Hearst's smear campaign against "Kane" and Welles began to overshadow his work, and he paid the price for (usually) staying by his progressive, left-of-center political stances (which just was not done in Hollywood in the Forties and Fifties, a much more conservative place than the "Holly-weird" complainers would like to admit). Exiled because of the HUAC investigations into Hollywood "Reds" and also the emergence of Joe McCarthy (who might never have achieved office if Welles, a son of Wisconsin, had run against him), Welles went to Europe to work as an independent filmmaker well before the advent of the independent film movement. McBride makes the case that Welles was so far ahead of his time that he's still today not recognized for his trailblazing efforts to fund his own productions (usually by taking roles in lesser films or in working in advertising, "selling out" according to the standards of later generations but perfectly normal when Welles himself was still on the radio recording commercials inbetween scaring the pants off of folks with his "War of the Worlds" broadcast).
McBride has a personal connection to Welles as filmmaker, having worked with him on the legendary (and legendarily unreleased) film "The Other Side of the Wind," a satire of "New Hollywood" by the master of cinema. McBride had some input in the script and appeared in the film as a reporter and film critic, and spent years waiting to be summoned for more shooting and re-shooting of various scenes as Welles could afford to do with his limited funds. The story of Welles' post-Hollywood career (which ended infamously when "The Magnificent Ambersons" was taken away from him and edited without his input in 1942, as well as his subsequent "problems" on the set of "It's All True") is of constant beginnings and halts to production, more a product, McBride argues, of Welles' financial status than his willingness to bring in a film on time and under budget (and tales of his "overspending" may very well be Hollywood rumor-mongering on an unkind scale). Welles struggled to get films made, and the ones that he did complete, McBride argues, show that Welles was far from spent as a creative force before he turned thirty.
Because of Welles' politics, he was a target of the Communist witch-hunt that plagued Hollywood and America in the aftermath of World War II. Anti-Communism, arguably one of the most destructive forces in American life (alongside racism, which often informed who HUAC and McCarthy pursued in their zeal to "cleanse" America of any Communist taint), was used to argue that Welles was a dangerous influence and not to be trusted. Welles, up against the full weight of the FBI and the Hollywood studio system, simply had no chance once the stories about his political leanings (real or imagined) began to take shape. Hearst, a fervid anti-Communist and spiteful about how he was portrayed in "Kane," considered the smearing of Welles to be something of a personal crusade, and so Welles' exile in Europe, long-lasting, was to add fuel to the fire that he was unable to finish films.
Welles made efforts to begin many projects, but few would see completion between 1955 and his death in 1985. But he never stopped working, and among his late-period works are some now-acclaimed masterpieces ("Touch of Evil," "Chimes at Midnight," "F For Fake"). Orson Welles never stopped working; he was even in the middle of writing when a heart attack struck him down in October 1985. McBride, whose complicated relationship with Welles allows him to be honest about how often the older man was less than charming or helpful, manages a balanced portrait of an artist whose creativity never really abandoned him; he was more the victim of financial uncertainty than any loss of talent or instinct to create. Having read "Young Orson" recently, which chronicles Welles' life up to the moment he began shooting "Kane," I feel like this is a perfect companion volume (though the authors are different, and the intentions dissimilar) to that book, and a well-done answer to the title question. What happened to Orson Welles was a tragedy of time, money, and ruined reputation for a man whose cinematic instincts never left him, even as the resources to bring those visions to life were fickle and fleeting.
July 30, 2012
An excellent retelling of a life few people actually know. Here McBride gives a scholarly account of a life often told through misconceived rumors. Welles was not the screw up most people thought him to be, but was actually very artistic, industrious, and hard working. McBride's writing is good here, serving to decloud misperceptions rather than to tell a story. Often times it jumps about, following a non-linear fashion.
January 13, 2021
Orson Welles as you didn’t know him
Joseph McBride is a film scholar and former associate of the great Orson Welles. This book covers much of Welles’s career that has not been seen by the public, including unfinished films and projects that went unrealized. The book contains personal anecdotes and shines a light on the side of Welles that the public was unable to see. A very worthwhile read.
Joseph McBride is a film scholar and former associate of the great Orson Welles. This book covers much of Welles’s career that has not been seen by the public, including unfinished films and projects that went unrealized. The book contains personal anecdotes and shines a light on the side of Welles that the public was unable to see. A very worthwhile read.
March 27, 2015
I've been watching all Orson Welles movies in the past month or so, and I decided to enhance my viewing by reading a this book. I actually wanted to read more in depth about every single movie, but that's not what this book is about.
The author does cover all his movies, and what happened around them, but his main focus are his own experiences as an actor in Welles's unreleased film The Other Side of the Wind.
However, thanks to his close relationship with the director, we do get a picture of Welles's persona outside of what Hollywood or so called critics wrote about him.
I think this is a more accurate telling of who Orson Welles was, instead of the "failed genius/unfulfilled promise" that the majority of people know him for.
There are some paragraphs where the author does criticize Welles personality, but it's based on his own experience with him, instead of some hollow conclusions based on nothing.
I do wish that he'd structured his book better, at times he seems to be writing as a stream of consciousness, jumping back and forth through time. Also his chapter titles don't tell us much about their contents, not until you actually read them.
But overall this is a good book to read to understand a bit better about Orson Welles.
The author does cover all his movies, and what happened around them, but his main focus are his own experiences as an actor in Welles's unreleased film The Other Side of the Wind.
However, thanks to his close relationship with the director, we do get a picture of Welles's persona outside of what Hollywood or so called critics wrote about him.
I think this is a more accurate telling of who Orson Welles was, instead of the "failed genius/unfulfilled promise" that the majority of people know him for.
There are some paragraphs where the author does criticize Welles personality, but it's based on his own experience with him, instead of some hollow conclusions based on nothing.
I do wish that he'd structured his book better, at times he seems to be writing as a stream of consciousness, jumping back and forth through time. Also his chapter titles don't tell us much about their contents, not until you actually read them.
But overall this is a good book to read to understand a bit better about Orson Welles.
February 10, 2019
Excellent
Fascinating insight into a fascinating life very well lived. Highly recommend it for film buffs or anyone interested in Orson Welles.
Fascinating insight into a fascinating life very well lived. Highly recommend it for film buffs or anyone interested in Orson Welles.
December 22, 2022
An enjoyable analysis of the latter part of Orson Welles’ movie career, with particular attention paid to the decades-long efforts to finish his experimental movie The Other Side of the Wind, which Professor McBride starred in. Welles comes across as a charming, lovable raconteur who could also be a bully with his crew at times. The book provides plenty of evidence to suggest that Welles was essentially blacklisted during the 50s for his progressive political views. The book is full of fascinating Hollywood trivia and gossip. McBride’s narrative sometimes veers toward self-promotion, but the book shines whenever Welles is front and center. The book gives well-earned credit to cinematographer Gary Graver for his years-long collaboration with Welles. It’s sad Welles couldn’t finish more of his projects, but he left us two undeniable masterpieces, Citizen Kane and Touch of Evil, which is more than most movie directors.
March 16, 2025
"In the meantime, I'm still keeping my Mister Pister costume in a box in the attic". É assim que McBride acaba seu livro. Um livro determinado a entender o que se sucedeu, o que deu errado durante toda a vida do grande Orson Welles, encerra suas páginas com a esperança do futuro. Não de que Welles vai retornar do túmulo, mas que ele continuará vivo através de um "melhor público". Um mundo onde este grande cineasta, este grande artista pode ser respeitado, lembrado, ovacionado, admirado como deveria. O que aconteceu a Orson Welles? Foi constantemente traído e impedido, cabe a nós lembrá-lo, não lamentando pelo que não foi feito, mas comemorando o que foi realizado. Acabou que McBride fez bem em guardar seu figurino, não para filmar com Orson de novo, mas sim para ver O Outro Lado do Vento saindo em 2018. Esquecer é um dos maiores perigos da humanidade, não vamos fazer isso com Orson. Eu sei que eu não vou. Eu não posso.
March 30, 2020
This is a splendid biography of one of the 20th-century’s greatest geniuses - Orson Welles. Actor, theatre artist, filmmaker. Complex man.
It rightly sees Orson Welles’ career and life story not so much as a tragedy of wasted genius wronged by his own flaws but as a tragicomedy of a man who was flawed within and besetted from outside, and yet who made much of himself and his talents, and who took directions ahead of his time, experimented, tried new things. The Other Side of the Wind, his once-unfinished, now finished film, is a grand experiment, a spectacular messy masterpiece of sorts. His limitations proved to him opportunities at his best.
Orson Welles, based on my reading of this biography, is for me a man who I mostly admire, his warts and all. Would he were better served in his time. And yet he did well in many ways.
It rightly sees Orson Welles’ career and life story not so much as a tragedy of wasted genius wronged by his own flaws but as a tragicomedy of a man who was flawed within and besetted from outside, and yet who made much of himself and his talents, and who took directions ahead of his time, experimented, tried new things. The Other Side of the Wind, his once-unfinished, now finished film, is a grand experiment, a spectacular messy masterpiece of sorts. His limitations proved to him opportunities at his best.
Orson Welles, based on my reading of this biography, is for me a man who I mostly admire, his warts and all. Would he were better served in his time. And yet he did well in many ways.
March 30, 2022
just terrific. makes all others seem like fanfiction.
September 13, 2024
If I could give negative stars I would. This book is horrible. First half of book should be titled Is Orson Welles a communist.
January 28, 2018
I'd certainly like to read more on Welles, but this seems a great place to start. Thorough and relatively even-handed as far as biographies go, which is rare when it comes to this particular subject.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews